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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
 Posted - 23 Feb 2017 : 17:04:06
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So, awhile back (years now) I became aware of Diyun, whilst admiring Mike Schley's gallery. The lore that went with the map was in issue #189 of Dungeon magazine, and I thought both the 'look' and content were pretty cool. And best of all, it isn't actually placed anywhere - it was part of 4e's 'modular' format, and never had any official 'spot' in a setting.
So of course, being that I am working on a Nentir Vale/FR conversion, and a LOT NV lore comes from the online initiative of WoTC's, it gets lumped into the 'catch-all' that is 4e lore and I want to use it. And I just kind of like the place. Plus, I have become enamored of the 5e approach of shoe-horning EVERYTHING into one little corner of The Realms. Not the best situation for setting-fans, but it is the IDEAL situation for DMs. And if you think Ed "never meant for it to be that way", ask yourselves this: "Do you know of any other setting with a burning hot desert next to a glacier?" Both right alongside highly-settled (and not-so-settled wilderness) areas? Desert nomads and sand worms? No problem! Frost giants of 'the frozen rift' - let me grab my sword. Tea and crumpets with the princess in avast city, or visit the 'Old mage' in his rural retreat? I'm already there. Yes, FR was designed so that everything was at your fingertips.
And then Ed had 'portals to everywhere', which brought just about everything into your own backyard (because some things - like jungles - were hard to 'fudge').
So, despite my FR fanboism bristling at the Red Wizards being SO active in The North - and the Emerald Enclave being active anywhere for that matter - as a DM I find the handiness of it all quite appealing. I once commented to Ed that "it felt like you couldn't walk 10 feet in the Realms without tripping over some ruins", and Ed replied back (via THO), "Exactly!" So basically, all WotC has done is embrace that philosophy fully - why develop regions outside the heartlands when 95% of the people running games will never use all that GREAT material? What a waste, right? keep everything 'close to home' and games will just run smoother.
So now that I've managed to 'trigger' every grognard within a 1000 miles ( ), Diyun, the hanging city. i want to place it in The Realms, and although I can think a hundred great spots for it in and around Faerūn, realistically, it should be in The North (and by 'realistically', I mean from a real-world PoV, not 'in game'). Now, its meant to be a settlement unto itself, but I think it might be better served as something else - something FR lacks, or rather, maybe should have had but its just been ignored - the sea entrance to the Sargauth enclave (Undermountain/Skullport). I was going to do a quick map-thingy, but thats really not necessary, so I'll just link to one so we have a visual...
See those words to the left of Mount Waterdeep out in the water? Where it says "Castle Ward" - right where that line is pointing to; somewhere around there. We know Undermountain has an entrance like this (some wizards operate a set of locks/whatever that allows people to sail into the Underdark), and we also know its 'just up the coast' from the harbor (so people IN waterdeep can actually SEE the traffic moving into Skullport). So why not have some fun with this 'non-locale' and make it something a bit more interesting? An 'in-between' place that's not quite as bad as Skullport, but not quite as nice as Waterdeep. A place where the folks of Waterdeep can 'dip their feet' into decadent pleasures, without being seen by the 'good folk' of Waterdeep (their nosy neighbors). I'm picturing it being like 'The strip' in a gambling town (because thats what goes on there), like in RW Las Vegas, or Atlantic City. Its basically just a sleazier extension of the city itself. "What happens in Diyun stays in Diyun" - that sort of thing. As for the 'sea-cave entrance', we could just use that river right there on the Diyun map (Because the river DOES exist in FR canon, whether any map has ever showed it or not).
So what do people think - would that be fun? I wouldn't place it on a map - no need to, really. Just a little idea I had that people might run with, and have some fun with. 
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"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 23 Feb 2017 17:09:24
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11690 Posts |
Posted - 23 Feb 2017 : 22:39:59
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| Now I got a picture of neon lights flashing the outline of a reclining naked woman repeatedly spreading her legs just off the shore from castle ward.... |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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KanzenAU
Senior Scribe
Australia
763 Posts |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 24 Feb 2017 : 00:19:29
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We call it 'The Shadow Market' here in Faerūn. 
And there certainly is a few establishments that employ 'pyrotechnics' and illusion effects to attract customers, Slevas, including one enormous 'billboard' that features a winking armored gentleman called 'A Scandalous Knight' - one of the more popular festhalls. 
There's a bunch of tiny, quickie-marriage temples, including one to Loviatar that plays the song 'Whip it' out front (and the clergy are appropriately dressed as members of Devo).
And there are also a ton of 'Finder' impersonators - everyone wants to be 'The Bard'. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 24 Feb 2017 00:25:35 |
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Diyun... and other stuff
